Aug. 27, 2010

Undersea Oil-Eating Bacteria

Much of the discussion of the environmental conditions in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the BP oil disaster have focused on how quickly the oil is -- or is not -- being broken down. Writing this week in the journal Science, researchers describe one species of bacteria found in and around the undersea plume of hydrocarbons in the Gulf. The findings of the study, they say, "suggest that a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation of oil plumes exists in the deep-sea." We'll hear about research into undersea bacteria in the Gulf, and their oil-eating capabilities.